Sustainability Action Plan

2030 Sustainability Action Plan

Research has demonstrated that buildings are a ±40% annual contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

In response to this statistic, The 2030 Challenge advocates that “all new buildings, developments, and major renovations shall be carbon-neutral by 2030.” To support this effort, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) created The AIA 2030 Commitment which is an actionable climate strategy with a set of standards and goals for reaching net zero emissions in the built environment. The AIA has solicited architectural firms across the United States to join the effort and calling them to make the commitment.

WMB Architects is 1 of more than 1,350 firms committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2030.

At WMB, our vision is to provide a positive impact on our community through thoughtful and intentional design. Ranging from small scale tenant improvements to large new buildings, our efforts are consistently guided by our Core Values – a list of defined values that inform our operations as a company. Of these nine values are included Care for the Environment, Commitment to Community and Care for People. Our team understands that we must be forward thinking and develop solutions that reduce negative impacts and strengthen the positive impacts of our projects on the environment. We recognize that the collaboration with our community is essential to developing solutions to complex shared challenges, such as climate change, and we strive to work in partnership with our local community in working toward solutions.

We, at WMB, are committed to being stewards of positive change. With this Sustainability Action Plan, WMB has defined specific goals and strategies, and we will use these objectives to gage our success in achieving our broader vision, using the power of design to elevate the human experience and be responsible stewards of the land.

Office Operation Goals

IMMEDIATE GOALS

  • Present the WMB Sustainability Action Plan to the office staff.
  • Incorporate sustainability statement into Employee Handbook regarding office operations.
  • Eliminate single use plastics – baggies, plastic utensils, plates, etc.
  • Post clear graphics in Break Room for trash & recycling
  • Turn off 50% of office lighting during business hours between March to September
  • Turn off computer monitors when not in use
  • Standardize double-sided printing
  • Prioritize remote meetings (Teams/Zoom/etc.)
  • Evaluate the current WMB corporate carbon footprint. Host an all-staff workshop to explore options to reduce the footprint.

SHORT TERM GOALS

  • All unused material samples shall be returned to vendor/ recycled to avoid sending to landfill
  • Incorporate sustainability statement into current job descriptions
  • Institute employee incentives for use of reduced carbon work transportation
  • (electric or hybrid cars, carpooling, bicycle, mass transit, walking, etc.)
  • Reduce in-house printing by 50%
  • Develop implementation plan to reduce the corporate carbon footprint.
  • Institute plan for internal continuing education of evolving sustainability methods
  • and systems for all licensed architects.

LONG TERM

  • Company vehicles shall be electric vehicles.
  • Purchase clean energy credits to offset WMB carbon footprint
  • Establish a committee to explore pathway of pursuing ‘net zero’ office operations.

Project Development Goals

IMMEDIATE GOALS

  • Identify WMB personnel to serve as the sustainability liason on applicable projects.
  • Identify energy usage goals during programming (projects > $5M).
  • Register projects to the AIA 2030 DDx.

SHORT TERM

  • Generate a database of sustainably manufactured building materials and systems.
  • Develop a preliminary project sustainability checklist + toolkit.
  • Integrate energy modeling and passive design strategies into our internal workflow during the schematic design process (projects > $5M).
  • Partner with like-minded consultants that have the required tools and can improve our team’s sustainable design process.
  • Curate resources for calculating embodied and operating carbon

LONG TERM

  • Calculate embodied carbon and operating carbon at schematic design and design development phases (projects > $10M).
  • Evaluate project feasibility of pursuing net zero (projects > $5M)
  • Implement design strategies to reduce embodied carbon by 20% (projects > $5M)
  • Construction completed on a building designed to net zero operating carbon
  • Institute post-occupancy phase to evaluate actual building performance
  • (projects > $5M)